A woman who was put up for adoption as a toddler after her mother died of cancer has reunited with the little sister she never knew existed, 55 years after they were taken in by different families.
Sisters Diane Ward, 58, and Mary McLaughlin, 55, were separated just a few months after Mary was born, but now, the long-lost siblings have finally reunited.
Diane was put up for adoption when she was young, and with a lack of records, she never knew much about her biological family.
She spent her childhood in Michigan, and unbeknownst to her, she grew up in a house that was just a few blocks away from her sister Mary and her biological mom – who has since passed away from breast cancer.
The two lived within minutes of each other for three years, until Mary was also adopted.
Throughout their childhoods, both women were told by their adoptive parents that they had no siblings but they longed to know more about where they came from.
Sisters Diane Ward (left), 58, and Mary McLaughlin (right), 55, were separated just a few months after Mary was born, but now, the long-lost siblings have finally reunited
Diane (pictured as a baby) was put up for adoption when she was young, and with a lack of records, she never knew much about her biological family
She spent her childhood in Michigan, and unbeknownst to her, she grew up in a house that was just a few blocks away from her sister Mary (pictured as a baby) and her biological mom
The two lived within minutes of each other for three years, until Mary was also adopted. Diane is pictured with her adoptive mother as a baby
Diane eventually relocated to the U.K. in 1999, after marrying her husband Colin, 59, and Mary moved to Paragould, Arizona, where she started a family of her own.
Curious about her roots and whether she might have any family still living in the States, Diane decided to buy herself a MyHeritage DNA kit as an early Christmas present in December 2020.
The results of the $50 kit came back a few months later, informing Diane that she may have a second cousin, who she then messaged online to find out more.
The cousin then dropped the bomb: revealing that Diane has a half-sister who she never knew about.
After doing a lot of research, Diane was able to get in contact with Mary – and the two described the first time they talked to one another as ‘love at first sight.’
Mary currently lives in Arizona and due to COVID and the long distance – the pair haven’t been able to meet up in person just yet, but instead, they spoke for the first time via Zoom.
Throughout their childhoods, both women were told by their adoptive parents that they had no siblings. Diane (left) and Mary (right) are pictured as kids
Curious about her roots and whether she might have any family still living in the States, Diane decided to buy herself a MyHeritage DNA kit in December 2020. She is pictured as a baby
The results came back a few months later, informing Diane that she had a second cousin, who she then messaged online to find out more. Diane (left) and Mary (right) are pictured as teens
And according to Diane, they ‘just clicked straight away’ and instantly noticed their similarities.
The cousin then dropped the bomb: revealing that Diane (pictured as a teen) has a sister who she never knew about
‘It was love at first sight,’ Diane gushed to Jam Press. ‘We just clicked and bounced off each other straight away.
‘It was like I found my other leg. When I spoke to her on Zoom for the first time it was just an incredible feeling.
‘Her husband overheard me on there and said we were very similar. He turned to her and said, “Yep, that’s your sister alright.” We both have a sarcastic, dark sense of humor.’
The sisters now speak to each other over the phone every day, and have plans to see each other in person for the first time next month. And Diane is stilled stunned by the discovery.
She said: ‘When I bought the kit I just thought it would be kinda cool to see, “What if I was a quarter German or there was some Irish blood in me?”
After doing a lot of research, Diane was able to get in contact with Mary (pictured) – and the two described the first time they talked to one another as ‘love at first sight’
Due to COVID, the pair haven’t been able to meet up in person just yet, but instead, they spoke for the first time via Zoom, and Diane (left) said she and Mary (right) ‘just clicked straight away’
Diane said she and Mary (pictured as a teen) ‘both have a sarcastic, dark sense of humor’ and she called it an ‘incredible feeling’ to get to know her sister
Next month, Diane will make the 5,000-mile journey to Mary’s beach house in Arizona for a long-anticipated meeting, and both sisters are over the moon. Mary is pictured with her family
‘I hadn’t told anyone about doing the kit. It was just something I was interested to do and didn’t see it as a big thing.
‘The thing is, I didn’t even know of [Mary’s] existence. My mom had me at 18 and I was given to an adopted family.
‘I only had her first name to go on, which was fairly common so it was really tricky to go from there. But throughout my life I have always tried to find out more information.’
Next month, Diane will make the 5,000-mile journey to Mary’s beach house in Arizona for a long-anticipated meeting, and both sisters are over the moon.
‘I’m just so thankful I bought the kit. Without it I wouldn’t have known! I’m so excited to see Mary next month,’ she added.
‘We’re just going to hit the beach, catch a tan and put the world to rights.’
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk